Releasing the Word

In the book of Jonah is the story of how Nineveh, an evil city, turned when God’s word was released to them. Nineveh was a large city of about sixty miles in circumference. It took Jonah three days to travel around the city. Nineveh was a major city in Assyria. This empire was very evil and inflicted much evil on those around it. Jonah had been a successful prophet and had predicted and seen the restoration of Israel’s lands from her enemies. (see II Kings 14:25) He was reluctant to go to the enemy and proclaim the word God had given him. Sometimes success in ministry hinders us from stepping outside our comfort box. Our pride causes us to desire success and to desire success more in the later years of our life. Doesn’t everyone want to finish the race successfully? We often blame our failures on our immaturity in the past but we are slow to admit our failures now. Jonah struggled to go to the most evil people of his times with a word of deliverance. He was reluctant to step outside the box.


Jonah may have asked himself the question, “Can a land be born in a day?” Isaiah 66:5 asks four questions. “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such a thing? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? “Although it may be only in our hearts we sometimes ask hard questions too. Can I ever overcome this? Can my city or region experience revival or awakening like Toronto or Redding? Can God stir us again like He did in the other great awakenings? Is my city or region too stiff-necked? Is it too worldly? Is it too religious? Can God really do a quick work here?


A region needs to recognize its hard places. However, we must not speak of them in a negative way as if we can never see change. The story of Nineveh is a bright ray of hope for any region that looks almost impossible to change. If Nineveh can change…. then my region can change. The Sovereignty of God will accomplish His purposes. There comes a time when we must stop using impossibilities or strongholds as an excuse to not go forward. Esther refused to give up her people to massacre when she recognized she was born for such a time as this. The apostle Paul refused to allow traditional Judaism to hinder him from proclaiming the message of the cross in a time when it was not popular. As we begin to go forward we recognize what is before us. However, as we go forward there comes a time when we need to stop focusing on the enemy or complaining about the stronghold.


Here in Appalachia, we have recognized the strongholds of religion, addiction and even poverty. Now, we must stop referring to them in such a way as to convey their strength against us. In the OT battle stories we are aware of the enemy and strongholds, but never do we hear the victorious men and women of God referring to them as they make their way into the battle. I feel released to stop referring to our region as the worst area of addiction, religion or poverty. It doesn’t change the statistics, for right now, but it does take our eyes off of the waves at our feet as we walk towards Jesus. I am tired of sinking or holding back because all I see are the waves. I refuse to keep glorifying the enemy. I choose to speak vision and to proclaim the revealed will of God. I choose to speak what I hear Father speaking and He is not glorifying our strongholds. I choose to only make mention of the strongholds to those who have not recognized them and to our children in the future as we tell of the great transformation.


Proclamation is a mighty tool in our hands. To proclaim the declared will of God is powerful. It changes the atmosphere. It inspires hope. Every believer can do it. Start proclaiming things to God in the secret place, to others, or to yourself. Proclaim health and life to your city or region. Proclaim strength in marriages in the midst of so much divorce. Proclaim new jobs for your region. Proclaim freedom of religion to effectively serve God through genuine relationship with Him. Proclaim our schools are going to experience God in such a way that our region will stand in amazement. Proclaim people are going to be set free instantly from addictions as Holy Spirit does a miraculous work in the lives of the addicted. Proclaim handicaps will give way to amazing testimonies of God’s strength in us and through us. Proclaim the favorable times of the Lord. Jesus began His ministry proclaiming freedom to the captives, sight to the blind, freedom from oppression and the favorable times of the Lord. He did this in his hometown and it wasn’t accepted very well…. But keep reading the chapter and the book. (see Luke 4) It happened. He is our model. Let’s follow his example. Proclaim and keep proclaiming!


Hope reformers are coming. You are one of them. Radiant hope is getting ready to fill our cities and regions. Transformation comes through the force of hope restored. It sets a momentum. I stand amazed as I watch new hope transform lives. I am seeing the face of troubled people beginning to look up and their countenance change and I know God is still the lifter of our heads. It happens in individual lives and then we begin seeing regional face lifts. What would a region look like if 75% of the believers in that region believed the second line of the Lord’s Prayer? It reads, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”. This tells us that it is possible to bring Heaven’s atmosphere and ways of life to earth. There is hope and it is radiant.
A friend of mine recently had a vision of hordes of evil riding with resolute faces out of our region. As I was proclaiming this to God, as I often do, I saw such brilliant light flooding in behind the hordes as they moved out. The light was blinding. God is moving into Appalachia. He has His bags with Him and He is here to take up habitation. Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? A land can be born in one day! A nation can be brought forth all at once!


Jonah proclaimed a simple word when he said, “Salvation or deliverance comes from the Lord”. (Jonah 2:9) He proclaimed this out of the fish’s belly. It was proclaimed revelatory truth that changed the most evil city of its time…. in a few days. The key to transformation is the released word. It is the released word that will change our regions. I am not talking about pounding people over the head with the bible and taking select scriptures that we like and beating people with them. This is wrong. Just because someone quotes scripture does not mean they are speaking for God. Satan quoted it to Jesus.


The released word comes from Father as we listen to what He is saying to us and to our regions. He breathes upon His written word and speaks to us His living word which does not contradict each other. As Father reveals His word to us alive and fresh we proclaim it over a region to bring life to that region. Ezekiel 47 brings us a vision of the River of God flowing into unhealthy lands and declares that everywhere the River flowed there was life. The River is flowing and everything it touches shall live! Even if you feel you are in a fish’s belly, start proclaiming the revealed word that you hear Father speaking to you. You may hear Him in corprate meetings or in the secret place when it’s just you and Him. There is no shortage of truth to proclaim. Release it!


I had a dream last night of a older lady that I did not recognize. She was a merchant lady much like Lydia was in the book of Acts. She was mapping out her plans to visit throughout the Appalachian Mountains. Some of the towns were so small and unknown. I recognized one as Honaker, a small town in the corner of Southwest Virginia. I talked with her and showed her a stack of papers that might help her in her travels. The stack of papers looked thick but only consisted of about 3 pages. I knew in the dream that these papers were the keys that would transform the region. Written in big letters on the top one was the word, “truth”. Underneath were the words worship and intimacy.


Lydia was the first European convert. She had an open (circumcised) heart to hear the things Paul released. She was a worshiper. She invited the travelers into her home. She persuaded them to stay and they judged her faithful. Paul proclaimed freedom to a slave-girl in her town and her masters started a riot. Paul and Silas were thrown into prison but God shook the foundations of the prison resulting in the conversion of the jailer and his household. Upon being released Paul went back to the home of Lydia and encouraged them and continued on his journey.


We are sitting at a table laden with first fruits. Circumcised hearts are hearing. Worshipers have and continue to come forth. Freedom is being proclaimed. Prisons are opening. Households are changing. Encouragements are being spoken. Hope is rising.
Released Revelatory Truth proclaimed will bring forth transformation. It is simple. We hold the key as we combine worship and our intimate relationship with Jesus Christ with revealed truth. Will you choose to open the door to see what you have never seen before?